The goal of this course is to help students acquire the ability to read closely, understand the conventions of literary discourse, develop an appreciation of literature, and write accurately and insightfully about it. COURSE DESCRIPTION
Advanced Placement (AP) English Literature and Composition is a college level course that integrates analytical reading, thinking, and writing. Students in AP English Literature and Composition read, discuss, analyze, and evaluate imaginative literature from various genres and historical periods ranging from the sixteenth to the 21st century. Throughout this course of study, students develop the close reading and writing skills that are necessary in college and in the world beyond school. This course implements not only the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for Language Arts Literacy, but also the approaches to literary study developed by the College Board’s AP Program. This approach involves students in “learning how to make careful observations of textual detail, establish connections among their observations, and draw from those connections a series of inferences leading to an interpretive conclusion about a piece of writing’s meaning and value” (The College Board, English Literature and Composition Course Description, May 2007 – 2008). Unlike survey courses, which usually cover the history or development of a particular nation’s literary tradition, AP English Literature and Composition is neither chronologically organized nor confined to texts from a particular geographical provenance; rather, the teacher is encouraged to select literary texts that represent a variety of universal themes.
THE AP ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION EXAM
Preparation for the AP Exam is an important aspect of this course, and so we’ll be spending a great deal of time learning how to respond to its multiple choice and essay questions. In order to give you ample opportunity to practice, some of our paper assignments will be to respond to previous essay questions on the exam. Other paper assignments will be modeled on exam questions and made relevant to the specific works we’re studying. All the work we do in this course will help you prepare for this test.
WRITING
Types of writing assignments in this course fall into three categories: writing to understand, writing to explain, and writing to evaluate. o Writing to Understand: In order to motivate you to read carefully, and to help you to improve your comprehension of challenging literary works, I will frequently ask you to write informal, exploratory essays. These brief reactions to reading assignments (akin to reading journal entries) will encourage you to ask pertinent questions and make hypotheses about literary texts; they will also help to make our class discussions as intelligent as possible. o Writing to Explain: Throughout the school year, you will learn how to write formal analytical essays about literary works, both in the form of take-home essays and in-class essays. In these assignments, you will develop an overall claim (a thesis) about the meaning of a poem, play, or novel, and then defend this claim with specific and apt references to details and literary devices in the text (e.g., figurative language, images, word choice, rhythm and meter, tone). Sometimes these assignments will require what might be called “on the spot” analysis; that is, I will give you a poem or a selection of prose and ask you to explain the speaker’s attitude and the text’s overall meaning by analyzing its details and literary devices. o Writing to Evaluate: In these essay assignments, which are meant to extend your thinking beyond comprehension and analysis, you will not only develop and defend an overall claim (a thesis) about a literary work’s meaning by analyzing details and literary devices, but you will also evaluate its effectiveness in conveying its point and its cultural and social values. What philosophy does the text communicate? How does this text criticize or comment on the milieu (the time and place) in which it was produced? How effective is the text’s criticism and commentary? All of the take-home analytical essays in this syllabus fall into this category of written expression.
I encourage you to meet with me to discuss your writing both before and after assignments are due. In addition to student conferences, you can expect written comments on your rough drafts, revisions, and/or final drafts, depending on the assignment. We will also participate in the valuable practice of peer conferencing. Our targets for revision include logical organization, rhetorical structures, transitions, grammar, punctuation and vocabulary.
I expect you to proofread your papers carefully (i.e. several times) before turning them in. Careless errors (e.g., spelling errors, apostrophe errors, etc.) will hurt your grade severely, no matter how smart your analytical thinking is. Running spellcheck alone does not constitute adequate proofreading.
Take-home papers (both first and final drafts) must be typed and doublespaced in Times New Roman 12pt. font with standard margins (1” top and bottom; 1” left and right); handwritten papers will not be accepted.
POLICY FOR LATE WORK
A paper or project is late if you do not have a hard copy of it with you at the beginning of class. Your grade will drop 10 percentage points (i.e., one letter grade) for each calendar day it is late. Except in the case of serious illness, absence from school will not be a valid excuse for a late paper. Furthermore, failure to turn in a major paper (i.e., a formal essay) will result in a failing grade for the marking period. Follow our schedule and manage your time well, and you won’t have to worry about any of this.
PLAGIARISM
In accordance with THS English Department practices, students who plagiarize will receive a "0" on the assignment in question, with no opportunity to re-submit the work. In addition, the student and his/her parent(s)/guardian(s) will be required to meet with the teacher, department head, and guidance counselor. Please refer to the TigerQ’s published policy. In order to help us to avoid such problems, we will make use of the “plagiarism-busting” website, www.turnitin.com.
EXAMS
Often we will have tests on readings. These tests will almost always require identification and analysis of significant quotations from the assigned text(s) and often a series of short answer questions (about quotations or specific parts of the work). Sometimes we will have a quotation test prior to our discussion of a play or novel that is assigned outside of class. The purpose of such a test is to give you incentive to read the text completely and closely (an Internet summary of the book won’t work here). We cannot have intelligent discussions if you don’t read the assigned books in their entirety.
CLOSE READING QUIZZES
Some quizzes will be announced; others will not. Generally, you should come to class expecting a short quiz on the assigned reading for the day (this doesn’t mean there will be a quiz every day! – it means you should be prepared for one). Sometimes I’ll ask you a short question about the reading; other times, I’ll ask you to identify quotations and do a little interpretation. We’ll talk more about these exercises when the time comes.
PARTICIPATION
I respect text messaging, social networking, and music as important forms of communication. However, please turn off your phones and iPods during class time. This helps me and your classmates avoid feeling disrespected or distracted. Further, this course will only be as vibrant, lively, and meaningful as we are prepared, individually and collectively, to take up the texts and topics under discussion on any given day. I’ll give you my best in terms of punctuality, preparation, and participation and will expect the same from you in return. If you can’t commit to that and follow through with it, please talk to me ASAP about dropping the class.
SUPPLIES YOU’LL NEED
1. An active username and password to access the Tenafly Public Schools network 2. a notebook or 3-ring binder with paper 3. Pens and pencils 4. a multicolor pack of Post-its or tabs 5. a flash (a.k.a. thumb) drive to save and print work without relying on Internet access 6. a stapler
EVALUATION
Major Writing Assignments: 30% Minor Writing Assignments: 25% Participation: 10% (See attached rubric.) Quizzes: 25% Homework: 5% Projects: 5%
TENTATIVE UNITS OF STUDY (and possible texts)
Unit One Who am I? The Search for Identity; Perception in Literary and Personal Contexts The question every human faces is that of identity: self-identification encompassing values, interests, dreams, and perceptions. One vehicle facilitating the search for identity is literature. Authors experiment with point of view, style, and tone—elements in the quest for identity of characters within and readers without. How to approach a text—how to discuss it, how to evaluate it, how to use it—are issues for any readers hoping to know both the text and themselves.
Essential Questions Who and what gives us our identity? How does language help us shape identity? What happens when identities collide?
Major Texts ▫ Great Expectations (Dickens) (SUMMER READING) ▫ The Color Purple (Alice Walker) (SUMMER READING)▫ “Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self” (Alice Walker)▫ Pride & Prejudice (Austen) ▫ Additional poems, short stories, essays ▫ possible assignments: analytical, argumentative essay on summer reading; essay on social, historical and/or cultural values in Pride and Prejudice
Unit Two What is Truth? Narrative Traditions; Illusion and Reality “Truth” includes both metaphysical and narrative dimensions. How to live an authentic life is the central metaphysical concern; how to read a narrative in which past, present, and future merge; in which retellings of the same event occur; and in which ambiguity reigns supreme are its narrative concerns. Additionally, language can be used to hide truth as well as to illuminate it.
Essential Questions What is truth? Is it absolute or relative? What is the relationship between language and truth? How willing are we to embrace truth? What if a “truth” impels us to violate an essential element of our self-concept? Do texts present truths or undermine them?
Major Texts ▫ 1984 (Orwell) ▫ The Things They Carried (O’Brien) ▫ Additional poems, short stories, essays possible assignments: analytical, argumentative essay on O’Brien’s techniques in The Things They Carried; essay on social, historical and/or cultural values of 1984 to World War II, the rise of Communism, and present-day totalitarian regimes
Unit Three How do we make moral choices? The Nature of Good and Evil
Beginning at the age or six or seven, all people grapple with the issues of good and evil. Theconscience—the moral sense—guides people in making judgments about actions, labeling some actions good and others evil. Historically, cultures have determined what is good and what is evil, codifying some of these decisions in laws or precepts. This unit will examine situations involving moral choices. It will challenge you to examine your own moral code.
Essential Questions What are good and evil? Is evil an intrinsic element of human nature?What happens when moral systems collide?What’s the difference between sin and crime?How does the narrative point of view affect the presentation of good and evil?
Major Texts ▫ The Dew Breaker(Danticat) ▫ Hamlet (Shakespeare) ▫ The Road (McCarthy) ▫ Additional poems, short stories, essays possible assignments: analytical, argumentative essay on Shakespeare’s techniques in Hamlet; essay on social, historical and/or cultural values of The Dew Breaker to Papa Doc-era Haiti
Unit Four What is the nature of a good life? Finding Purpose The question all people face is how to live a meaningful existence. For some, “meaningful” means being financially secure; for others, it means adhering to family traditions and values; for still others, it means making a difference in the world by daring to challenge the status quo or by working tenaciously within the system to enact change. For the existentialists, existence imposes the burden of freedom: people have the challenge of creating their own meaning, apart from meanings prescribed for them by community, family, or country.
Essential Questions What does it mean to live well? Who/what guides our definitions of the “good life”? What causes us to shed one “good life” and take on another? How do we know we’ve chosen the right path? Is it possible to live a good life in isolation?
Major Texts ▫ Siddhartha (Hesse) ▫ The Stranger (Camus) ▫ Additional poems, short stories, essays possible assignments: analytical, argumentative essay on Camus’s techniques in The Stranger; essay on social, historical and/or cultural values of Siddhartha to Hinduism and Buddhism
POETRY UNIT (3 weeks)▫ A variety of poetry from the Renaissance through the present day
Research paper & presentation (after A.P. exam)
The culminating assignment for this course is a formal research paper for which you will analyze three works of literature. You will receive detailed instructions and expectations when we begin the unit.
Participation Rubric
Excellent
Good
Fair
Unsatisfactory
Conduct
Demonstrates respect for the learning process; has patience with different opinions and complexity; shows initiative by asking others for clarification: brings others into the conversation, moves the conversation forward; speaks to all of the participants; avoids talking too much.
Generally shows composure but may display impatience with contradictory or confusing ideas; comments, but does not necessarily encourage others to participate; may tend to address only the teacher or get into debates.
Participates and expresses a belief that his/her ideas are important in understanding the text; may make insightful comments but is either too forceful or too shy and does not contribute to the progress of the conversation; tends to debate, not dialogue.
Displays little respect for the learning process; argumentative; takes advantage of minor distractions; uses inappropriate language; speaks to individuals rather than ideas; arrives unprepared without notes, pencil/pen or perhaps even without the text.
Speaking & Reasoning
Understands question before answering; cites evidence from text; expresses thoughts in complete sentences; move conversation forward; makes connections between ideas; resolves apparent contradictory ideas; considers others’ viewpoints, not only his/her own; avoids bad logic.
Responds to questions voluntarily; comments show an appreciation for the text but not an appreciation for the subtler points within it; comments are logical but not connected to other speakers; ideas interesting enough that others respond to them.
Responds to questions but may have to be called upon by others; has read the text but not put much effort into preparing questions and ideas for the seminar; comments take details into account but may not flow logically in conversation.
Extremely reluctant to participate even when called upon; comments illogical and meaningless; may mumble or express incomplete ideas; little or no account taken of previous comments or important ideas in the text.
Listening
Pays attention to details; writes down questions; responses take into account all participants; demonstrates that he/she has kept up; points out faulty logic respectfully; overcomes distractions.
Generally pays attention and responds thoughtfully to ideas and questions of other participants and the leader; absorption in own ideas may distract the participant from the ideas of others.
Appears to find some ideas unimportant while responding to others; may have to have questions or confusions repeated due to inattention; takes few notes during the seminar in response to ideas and comments.
Appears uninvolved in the seminar; comments display complete misinterpretation of questions or comments of other participants.
Reading
Thoroughly familiar with the text; has notations and questions in the margins; key words, phrases, and ideas are highlighted; possible contradictions identified; pronounces words correctly.
Has read the text and comes with some ideas from it but these may not be written out in advance; good understanding of the vocabulary but may mispronounce some new or foreign words.
Appears to have read or skimmed the text but has not marked the text or made meaningful notes or questions; shows difficulty with vocabulary; mispronounces important words; key concepts misunderstood; little evidence of serious reflection prior to the seminar.
Student is unprepared for the seminar; important words, phrases, ideas in the text are unfamiliar; no notes or questions marked in the text; no attempt made to get help with difficult material.
dling@tenafly.k12.nj.us and misslingenglish@gmail.com (for attachments)
COURSE GOAL
The goal of this course is to help students acquire the ability to read closely, understand the
conventions of literary discourse, develop an appreciation of literature, and write accurately and insightfully about it.
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Advanced Placement (AP) English Literature and Composition is a college level course that integrates analytical reading, thinking, and writing. Students in AP English Literature and Composition read, discuss, analyze, and evaluate imaginative literature from various genres and historical periods ranging from the sixteenth to the 21st century. Throughout this course of study, students develop the close reading and writing skills that are necessary in college and in the world beyond school. This course implements not only the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards for Language Arts Literacy, but also the approaches to literary study developed by the College Board’s AP Program. This approach involves students in “learning how to make careful observations of textual detail, establish connections among their observations, and draw from those connections a series of inferences leading to an interpretive conclusion about a piece of writing’s meaning and value” (The College Board, English Literature and
Composition Course Description, May 2007 – 2008). Unlike survey courses, which usually cover the history or development of a particular nation’s literary tradition, AP English Literature and Composition is neither chronologically organized nor confined to texts from a particular geographical provenance; rather, the teacher is encouraged to select literary texts that represent a variety of universal themes.
THE AP ENGLISH LITERATURE AND COMPOSITION EXAM
Preparation for the AP Exam is an important aspect of this course, and so we’ll be spending a great deal of time learning how to respond to its multiple choice and essay questions. In order to give you ample opportunity to practice, some of our paper assignments will be to respond to previous essay questions on the exam. Other paper assignments will be modeled on exam questions and made relevant to the specific works we’re studying. All the work we do in this course will help you prepare for this test.
WRITING
Types of writing assignments in this course fall into three categories: writing to understand, writing to explain, and writing to evaluate.
o Writing to Understand: In order to motivate you to read carefully, and to help you to improve your comprehension of challenging literary works, I will frequently ask you to write informal, exploratory essays. These brief reactions to reading assignments (akin to reading journal entries) will encourage you to ask pertinent questions and make hypotheses about literary texts; they will also help to make our class discussions as intelligent as possible.
o Writing to Explain: Throughout the school year, you will learn how to write formal analytical essays about literary works, both in the form of take-home essays and in-class essays. In these assignments, you will develop an overall claim (a thesis) about the meaning of a poem, play, or novel, and then defend this claim with specific and apt references to details and literary devices in the text (e.g., figurative language, images, word choice, rhythm and meter, tone). Sometimes these assignments will require what might be called “on the spot” analysis; that is, I will give you a poem or a selection of prose and ask you to explain the speaker’s attitude and the text’s overall meaning by analyzing its details and literary devices.
o Writing to Evaluate: In these essay assignments, which are meant to extend your thinking beyond comprehension and analysis, you will not only develop and defend an overall claim (a thesis) about a literary work’s meaning by analyzing details and literary devices, but you will also evaluate its effectiveness in conveying its point and its cultural and social values. What philosophy does the text communicate? How does this text criticize or comment on the milieu (the time and place) in which it was produced? How effective is the text’s criticism and commentary? All of the take-home analytical essays in this syllabus fall into this category of written expression.
POLICY FOR LATE WORK
A paper or project is late if you do not have a hard copy of it with you at the beginning of class. Your grade will drop 10 percentage points (i.e., one letter grade) for each calendar day it is late. Except in the case of serious illness, absence from school will not be a valid excuse for a late paper. Furthermore, failure to turn in a major paper (i.e., a formal essay) will result in a failing grade for the marking period. Follow our schedule and manage your time well, and you won’t have to worry about any of this.
PLAGIARISM
In accordance with THS English Department practices, students who plagiarize will receive a "0" on the
assignment in question, with no opportunity to re-submit the work. In addition, the student and his/her
parent(s)/guardian(s) will be required to meet with the teacher, department head, and guidance counselor.
Please refer to the TigerQ’s published policy. In order to help us to avoid such problems, we will make use of the “plagiarism-busting” website, www.turnitin.com.
EXAMS
Often we will have tests on readings. These tests will almost always require identification and analysis of significant quotations from the assigned text(s) and often a series of short answer questions (about quotations or specific parts of the work). Sometimes we will have a quotation test prior to our discussion of a play or novel that is assigned outside of class. The purpose of such a test is to give you incentive to read the text completely and closely (an Internet summary of the book won’t work here). We
cannot have intelligent discussions if you don’t read the assigned books in their entirety.
CLOSE READING QUIZZES
Some quizzes will be announced; others will not. Generally, you should come to class expecting a short quiz on the assigned reading for the day (this doesn’t mean there will be a quiz every day! – it means you should be prepared for one). Sometimes I’ll ask you a short question about the reading; other times, I’ll ask you to identify quotations and do a little interpretation. We’ll talk more about these exercises when the time comes.
PARTICIPATION
I respect text messaging, social networking, and music as important forms of communication. However, please turn off your phones and iPods during class time. This helps me and your classmates avoid feeling disrespected or distracted.
Further, this course will only be as vibrant, lively, and meaningful as we are prepared, individually and collectively, to take up the texts and topics under discussion on any given day. I’ll give you my best in terms of punctuality, preparation, and participation and will expect the same from you in return. If you can’t commit to that and follow through with it, please talk to me ASAP about dropping the class.
SUPPLIES YOU’LL NEED
1. An active username and password to access the Tenafly Public Schools network
2. a notebook or 3-ring binder with paper
3. Pens and pencils
4. a multicolor pack of Post-its or tabs
5. a flash (a.k.a. thumb) drive to save and print work without relying on Internet access
6. a stapler
EVALUATION
Major Writing Assignments: 30%
Minor Writing Assignments: 25%
Participation: 10% (See attached rubric.)
Quizzes: 25%
Homework: 5%
Projects: 5%
TENTATIVE UNITS OF STUDY (and possible texts)
Unit One
Who am I? The Search for Identity; Perception in Literary and Personal Contexts
The question every human faces is that of identity: self-identification encompassing values, interests, dreams, and perceptions. One vehicle facilitating the search for identity is literature. Authors experiment with point of view, style, and tone—elements in the quest for identity of characters within and readers without. How to approach a text—how to discuss it, how to evaluate it, how to use it—are issues for any readers hoping to know both the text and themselves.
Essential Questions
Who and what gives us our identity?
How does language help us shape identity?
What happens when identities collide?
Major Texts
▫ Great Expectations (Dickens) (SUMMER READING)
▫ The Color Purple (Alice Walker) (SUMMER READING)▫ “Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self” (Alice Walker)▫ Pride & Prejudice (Austen)
▫ Additional poems, short stories, essays
▫ possible assignments: analytical, argumentative essay on summer reading;
essay on social, historical and/or cultural values in Pride and Prejudice
Unit Two
What is Truth? Narrative Traditions; Illusion and Reality
“Truth” includes both metaphysical and narrative dimensions. How to live an authentic life is the central metaphysical concern; how to read a narrative in which past, present, and future merge; in which retellings of the same event occur; and in which ambiguity reigns supreme are its narrative concerns. Additionally, language can be used to hide truth as well as to illuminate it.
Essential Questions
What is truth? Is it absolute or relative?
What is the relationship between language and truth?
How willing are we to embrace truth?
What if a “truth” impels us to violate an essential element of our self-concept?
Do texts present truths or undermine them?
Major Texts
▫ 1984 (Orwell)
▫ The Things They Carried (O’Brien)
▫ Additional poems, short stories, essays
possible assignments:
analytical, argumentative essay on O’Brien’s techniques in The Things They Carried;
essay on social, historical and/or cultural values of 1984 to World War II, the rise of Communism,
and present-day totalitarian regimes
Unit Three
How do we make moral choices? The Nature of Good and Evil
Beginning at the age or six or seven, all people grapple with the issues of good and evil. Theconscience—the moral sense—guides people in making judgments about actions, labeling some actions good and others evil. Historically, cultures have determined what is good and what is evil, codifying some of these decisions in laws or precepts. This unit will examine situations involving moral choices. It will challenge you to examine your own moral code.
Essential Questions
What are good and evil? Is evil an intrinsic element of human nature?What happens when moral systems collide?What’s the difference between sin and crime?How does the narrative point of view affect the presentation of good and evil?
Major Texts
▫ The Dew Breaker(Danticat)
▫ Hamlet (Shakespeare)
▫ The Road (McCarthy)
▫ Additional poems, short stories, essays
possible assignments: analytical, argumentative essay on Shakespeare’s techniques in Hamlet;
essay on social, historical and/or cultural values of The Dew Breaker to Papa Doc-era Haiti
Unit Four
What is the nature of a good life? Finding Purpose
The question all people face is how to live a meaningful existence. For some, “meaningful” means being financially secure; for others, it means adhering to family traditions and values; for still others, it means making a difference in the world by daring to challenge the status quo or by working tenaciously within the system to enact change. For the existentialists, existence imposes the burden of freedom: people have the challenge of creating their own meaning, apart from meanings prescribed for them by community, family, or country.
Essential Questions
What does it mean to live well?
Who/what guides our definitions of the “good life”?
What causes us to shed one “good life” and take on another?
How do we know we’ve chosen the right path?
Is it possible to live a good life in isolation?
Major Texts
▫ Siddhartha (Hesse)
▫ The Stranger (Camus)
▫ Additional poems, short stories, essays
possible assignments: analytical, argumentative essay on Camus’s techniques in The Stranger;
essay on social, historical and/or cultural values of Siddhartha to Hinduism and Buddhism
POETRY UNIT (3 weeks)▫ A variety of poetry from the Renaissance through the present day
Research paper & presentation (after A.P. exam)
The culminating assignment for this course is a formal research paper for which you will analyze three works of literature. You will receive detailed instructions and expectations when we begin the unit.
Participation Rubric
Speaking
&
Reasoning